French sweets: British confectionery and soft drinks...

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

French sweets: British confectionery and soft drinks group Cadbury Schweppes PLC said it was in talks about acquiring the French chewing gum and candy business of Kraft Foods Inc. Cadbury said the acquisition would give it an overall share of the French confectionery market of around 16 percent. It did not reveal the acquisition price of the business, but analysts estimated a price of around $368 million. Kraft, which is based in the Chicago suburb of Northfield, is the food division of U.S. consumer goods giant Philip Morris Cos Inc.